1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hydrogenated amorphous silicon alloys, and, more particularly, to a process for producing improved hydrogenated amorphous silicon-carbon alloys having carbon-silicon bonds, which are useful in the production of semiconductor devices and particularly photovoltaic devices.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,830 teaches hydrogenated amorphous silicon alloys which are improved as compared to previously known hydrogenated amorphous silicon-carbon alloys, particularly those prepared by incorporating such gases as methane, germane, germanium tetrafluoride, diborane and phosphine in the deposition gas mixture. While the improvements provided by U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,830 have been beneficial in the production of useful alloys for semiconductor devices, such as photovoltaic cells, it is desirable to provide further improvements in undoped hydrogenated amorphous silicon-carbon alloys in order to attain such semiconductor devices as solar cells with even greater improved properties, such as higher open circuit voltages at desirable, active layer (i.e. the i-layer) bandgaps of 1.8 eV or more, high fill factors, and improved solar cell stability.